Separable gear assembly



g- 30, 1932. H. s. MARSH SEPARABLE GEAR ASSEMBLY Filed April 22. 1930 III I /5/ :W 0 MT \w mi v m A I I Patented Aug. 30, 1932 UNITED STATES COMPANY, INC., OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A GORPORATION OF NEW YORK sErARAELE GEAR AssEMELY Application filed April 22,1930. Serial 110.44634'7.

This invention; relates to separable gear assemblies, and particularly to such assemblies as have part of the gears mounted in one structure, as a caslng, and other gears co-operative with the first mentioned gears, but which are mounted in another structure, as a cover for the casing. An object of the innovel separable gear assembly will appear hereinafter, and are, of course, to beunderstood as forming part of the invention.

I .-In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a portion of an instrument, showing the separable gear assembly;

Fig. 2 is another fragmentary vertical sec-j tion viewed at right. angles to the section of Fig. 1 and taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, being viewed in the direction of thel arrows and showing the separable gear assembly in plan view; and 1 Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and shows the centralizing device associated with the switch there illustrated.

Referring to the drawing, when the cover I 150 is placed upon the casing 146, it is guided accurately into place without the necessity exceptional care on the part of the workman making the assembly. The gears of the separable gear assembly are partially shown in Fig. 1, and are more clearly shown in Figs. 2' and 3. One of these gears 151 is secured to the lower end of a short vertical shaft 152 which carries at its upper end an operating knob designated as '9. Reference to Figs. 2 and 3 will show that the gear 151 actuated by the knob 9 meshes with pinions153 that in turn mesh with another gear 154 mounted as seen in Fig. 1 upon the upper end of a vertical shaft 155. r 7

There is a circular recess in the underside of gear 154, and projecting into it is'a pinl 156 secured to the gear. Diametrically op posed to pin 156 is another pin 157 securedto the hub 49 of the dial 25 of the switch unit.

The pin. 157 projects into an elliptical recess 159 in the gear 154, as best seen in Fig. '3. The

pins 156 and 157 co-operate with a double jawed device comprising levers 160 and 161. The longer arms ofthe levers 160 and 161 are notchednear-their outer extremities and receive the ends of a spring pressure annulus 162 which tends to press themrtogether, soas to grip the pins 156 and 157 c In view of the here-described-construction, it will be plain that the actuation of the knob 9, seen in Fig. 1, turns the shaft 152 and gear 151, the pinions 153 revolving in response to this action and driving the gear 154. Gonsequently, pin 156 travels in an annularpath rotating the spring pressed levers 160 and 161 vthereby 'in turn driving pin 157 which,of

course, turns the hub 49 and the dial 25 of the switch unit. It is apparent that shaft. 155

mounted in ball bearings 163 and 17 0 also turns and through the coupling comprising the member 164 attached to the lower end of shaft 155, the pin 165 and the hub 166 actue.

ates'the drum of the switch unit.

PATENTO FFICEJ HARRY s. MARsH, 0E MORRISVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNo ro EoRn INSTRUMENT Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will beseen 1 that the pinions 153 are mounted on sleeves 154 to slide longitudinally thereof against the action ofsprings 155. These springs bear against upper enlarged portions of the sleeves '154 and socketed upper faces ;of the pinions 153, normally tending to thrust the pinions 153 downward, so that they will be in mesh with both gears 151 and 154. The pinions have keyways 15 6 intowhich project the squared ends of pins 157 anchored in the sleeves 154, thereby establishing the unified rotation of thepinions 153 and sleeves 154' about central pins 158 which are riveted to seat members 159 fastened in the top of the cover 150. Thebottom' end of each pin 158 is flanged to retain a thickwasher 167 fitted tightly onto the lowerend of the sleeve 154 with which it is associated. Pairs of opposed pins 168 pass through the washers 167 locking them in place, but such pins do free to spin on the central pins 158 when they are driven by the gear 151.

In view of the construction just described,

when the cover 150 is placed upon the casing 146, if the teeth of the pinion 153 do not properlyalign with thenotchesbetween the teeth of the gear 154, they will slide upwardly of their sleeves 154, and not interfere with the assembling of the internal parts. Subsequent turning of the handle 9 will cause the pinions 153 to rotate, whereupon any that are not in mesh will slip into mesh asftheir teeth are brought into register with the notches in the gear 154.

The switch unit is mounted upon amounting plate 145 situated approximately midway the height of the interior of the instrument casing. Other similar'switch units may be mounted on the mounting plate 145 for operating other dials. The switch shown in Fig. 1 has spaced upper and lower commutator drum frame insulating plates" 97 and 96, respectively, between which it is to be understood there is located. the rotatable switch drum referred to hereinbe fore. The stem 29, as shown in Fig. 1, is mounted upon a hollow :boss 169 that is integral with the mounting plate 145. As seen in the drawing, the stem 29 serves to hold ball bearings 163 and 17 0 for the shaft 155. 7 I claim: p 1. In apparatus of the-character described, a device having a rotatable element, a gear on said element, a cover-supporting structure in predetermined relationship to saiddevice, a removable cover, a gear journalled therein, and spring-pressed gears in balanced arrangement meshing with the gear on the cover and yieldable to permit placing of the cover inpcsition with respect to said structure irrespective of the meshing of the balanced gears and to cause such'meshing upona slight "turn of the gear on the switch cover.

2. In apparatus of the character described,

a'device'having a rotatable member, agear-attach'ed to-said member,a driving gearhaving its a xis-oifset' with respect to the axis of the first gear and intermediate gearsin balanced arrangementto mesh with both of said gears on opposite sides of the plane passing through the axes of thefirst mentioned gears,

said intermediate gears and one of said-other. gears belng maintalned 1n permanent co-operative relation and displaceable axially into and out of co-acting combination with-the remalning gear.

'3. In a devlce of the character described, a device having a rotatable'member, a gearhaving an energy-storing connection with said device, and a separately combined-operating mechanism'to be placed over said rotatable member and comprising a gear above the planeof the first mentioned gear, a thick gear tomesh with both the first andsecondgears, and spring supporting means for said thick gear to permit it to yield when engaged by a side face of one of the first and second gears and to move it into mesh with such gear upon relative turning thereof.

4. In apparatus of the character described,

a device having a rotatable shaft, 'a-gear on the free end of said shaft, a cover for said device, a shaft journalled in said cover, a gear on the lower end of the second shaft, athick pinion meshing with thesecond mentioned gear and spring-pressed toward the first mentioned gear so as to yield in case of failure to mesh with said first mentioned gear and to slip into mesh' the'rewith when turned into proper relation with said first mentioned gear. 7

5. In apparatus of'the character described, 1

a support, devices mounted thereon, gears connected with said devices for operating the same, a cover, gearing mounted on said cover, and means to enable the cover tobe placed on saidsupport irrespective of theposltion of the gears and to insure operative connection therebe'tween whenoperated.

6. The combination with'different struc tural members movable'i-nto predetermined rigid but separable correlation, of gears mountedonthe different structural members, gears 'intermediateto said other' gears 1n continuous mesh w th and urged to'seek' meshing engagement with the' gears respectively mounted on said different members.

7. The combination with different structural members movable into predetermined rigidbut separable correlation, of driving tional axes of said other gears and continuously :in mesh with one of the last named gears, and :means axially Lurging said intermediate gear for meshing engagement with said driven gear upon said :members :being united and'rotation of said i driving gear.

"9. In apparatus ofthe character described, drivingand driven shafts, separate supports :for said 'shafts movable into unified correlation, a driving gear'fast' on said driving shaft, a driven gearloosely' mounted on said driven shaft, an axially displaceable intermediate gear rotatablymountedon thesupport for said driving gear retained in continuous rnesh with the latter gear and urged in a direction to mesh with said driven gear as said supports are correlated, and a yieldable sprlng-controlled driving connection between said driven gear and driven shaft.

10. In apparatus of the character described, gears adapted to be meshed including a driven gear, a driven shaft on which the driven gear is loosely mounted, a member 1 fast on sa1d driven shaft, pins on opposite sides of said shaft carried respectively by sa1d drlven gear and member, and springcontrolled levers pivoted on said driven shaft co-acting to embrace said pins to form a driv- I and ing connection between said driven gear driven shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

V HARRY S. MARSH. 

